


A Very Pirate Christmas

by TMW



Series: Airship Sidewinder [3]
Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Genre: Alternate Universe - Steampunk, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-20
Updated: 2013-12-20
Packaged: 2018-01-11 04:54:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1168923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TMW/pseuds/TMW





	A Very Pirate Christmas

Zane sat on the rooftop balcony and sipped his coffee. The sun broke over the horizon, a curve of white gold slicing up through the lonely waves of the ocean. The clouds rolled back, chased away by warmth, and turned into a whisper of fog that slithered over the still-sleeping port city of Boston.

From his perch three stories in the air, Zane could just make out the harbor. The stretch of planks looked lonely without a multitude of ships docked in their wooden embrace, but the many vacancies were good for Zane and the rest of the crew. A dearth of ships meant the city was largely empty of rival pirates, and they could keep an eye on who came and went with relative ease. At the far end, tucked in the shadows of an abandoned shipyard, the imposing—and somewhat mangled—shadow of Airship Sidewinder spread across the dark water.

Three months. Three months of living on land while they begged and called in favors and stole to repair their ship. Three months of being unable to take on large jobs because of the need to stay somewhat under the radar while the dust settled from their recent escapades.

Hence, Boston.

The abandoned city of Boston had been reclaimed by pirates and thieves fifty years ago. It’d been largely forgotten by the world’s governments once the resources dried up and more prosperous cities rose to the north and south. They realized far too late that the port still served a strategic advantage. However, by that time, it was impossible to drive out the mercenaries, bounty hunters, and pirates from its depths without incurring the wrath of the underworld. While the city rotted from the top down, the ground swarmed with bars, brothels, markets, and shadows. It’s where you went to hide. Or to die. The ancient skyscrapers no longer so much scraped the sky as they clawed toward it—their broken and twisted frames the only remains of a once-majestic city.

Zane scrubbed a hand over his face, running a palm across his stubble.

"You’re up early."

Zane glanced over his shoulder at Kelly. “Couldn’t sleep.”

Kelly shuffled over and, with a few graceful movements, perched on the railing. He wore nothing but a pair of dark pants with holes in both knees and leather cuffs around each wrist. Suspenders dangled uselessly around his hips. He fiddled with one of the cuffs as his white-blue eyes narrowed on the ship.

"What do you see?" Zane asked.

Kelly shook his head with a smirk. “A busted ship?” He rubbed his bare chest absently and flexed his fingers. He’d been doing that a lot since his broken arm had healed.

"Hand okay?"

Kelly looked at his hand and shrugged one shoulder. “Cold in the mornings.” He grinned at Zane, his overly bright eyes sparking. “Stiff.”

Zane shook his head and chuckled into his coffee. “Nick’s a slacker.”

Kelly laughed. “Not hardly. He went back to sleep after—”

Zane held up a hand. “I’m just going to stop you right there.”

Kelly winked at him and looked back at the ship. “How much longer do you think?”

Zane groaned. “I hope not much. Ty’s about to vibrate out of his skin if we can’t get back in the air soon.”

"Everyone’s on edge," Kelly murmured as his eyes darted over the buildings around them and swept to the streets, taking in the city as it slowly woke up. "We’re not as anonymous anymore."

Zane grunted as he finished his coffee. “Fucking armada.”

Kelly blew out a breath and dragged his hands though his hair. He squinted at the sky with a slight frown. “Awfully warm for this time of year.”

Zane unpeeled himself from the chair and stood with a faint groan as joints popped. “Yep.”

Kelly grinned at him. “You know why, don’t you?”

Zane nodded as he headed toward the back door. “You’d zone out after the first three words, though.”

"True." Kelly drew out the word. He rested his chin on his knee and looked out at the city again. "Christmas is tomorrow."

Zane frowned at the other man’s expression. Almost wistful and maybe a little sad. Christmas on board an airship wasn’t usually a big affair. Mostly drinking and singing. Maybe a gift or two if they’d had a good year. He rubbed the back of his neck, couldn’t think of anything to say, and headed inside.

===

Kelly listened to the door latch quietly and frowned. Ty wasn’t the only one about to vibrate out of his skin at not being on the ship. The entire crew dripped with restlessness and borderline cabin fever. Living together on a ship was one thing. Living together in an old house was another thing entirely. The same view day in and day out. The same air. The same noise. The same smells. It coated all of them and weighed them down, lodging in their joints like sludge and making it hard to move.

They needed to break out of the funk or it was going to break them apart.

Kelly stared at the ship again. Even from this distance, he could see it perfectly and clear as day—every detail, every nearly patched hole, every almost rebuilt section. She was still so broken, so bruised, so swollen. It hurt his heart to see their ship so beat up. She’d limped here from the battle, courageously carrying her precious crew to safety before nearly sinking in the harbor due to a series of slow leaks that weakened her underbelly and split wide open a half mile from shore. Ty had coaxed and murmured and soothed and begged her to hold together to make it to safety.

Now she sat partially on dry land, tethered and bound to the earth even though she couldn’t go anywhere. The infamous Airship Sidewinder, dry-docked and tilting on her side, gaping wounds in her belly and splits along so many seams. He had no idea how long it was going to take to repair her, but, at this rate, it would be longer than their spirits could hold out.

Kelly blinked at the ship as an idea began to take shape. He chewed on his bottom lip as his gaze darted around the city, making mental lists. He jumped off the railing and headed inside, taking the steps two at a time down to the second floor where his and Nick’s bedroom was. He eased the door open and crept inside. He could see fine in the near blackness of the room as he slipped on a shirt and stowed a few weapons around his body.

"Where are you going?" Nick’s sleep-roughened voice drifted from the pile of blankets on the bed.

Kelly grinned and crawled onto the bed. He burrowed under the covers and nuzzled against Nick’s warm body with a faint purring noise. Nick laughed quietly and wrapped his arms around Kelly.

"You’re wearing far too many clothes." Nick’s neck vibrated against Kelly’s face.

Kelly kissed his skin lightly and dragged his teeth over the faintly fluttering vein that ran up the side of Nick’s throat. “I’m going out for a bit.”

"Oh?" Nick’s words slurred with sleep, evidence that he wasn’t quite all there yet. If Kelly was going to leave, now would be the best time. If Nick woke up any more, Kelly would inevitably be delayed, and he could run out of time for his idea.

Kelly hummed an affirmative. “Getting more parts and a guy I want to talk to gets up early.”

Nick grunted and tightened his hold. “Not this early.”

Kelly squirmed. “Yes, this early. Go back to sleep. I’ll be back later.”

Nick grumbled but loosened his arms. Kelly pressed his mouth to Nick’s throat, his jaw, and his lips.

"Go before I wake up more and pin you to the wall," Nick growled against his mouth.

Heat rolled over Kelly’s skin, and he forced himself to leave the warmth of the blankets and the borderline irresistible scent and feel of Nick’s body. “I’m holding you to that,” he said as he headed for the door. He paused with his hand on the doorknob. “Nick?”

Nick hummed and blinked at Kelly, squinting through the darkness.

"Have you seen Cecily?"

Nick sighed. “I’m still looking for her.”

Kelly swallowed against the flare of worry and sadness in his chest. She was probably just out exploring.

"I’m sure she’s fine," Nick said gently.

Kelly smiled even though he knew Nick couldn’t see it. “Yeah. Yeah, you’re probably right.”

===

Nick waited until Kelly’s footsteps disappeared down the hall before throwing back the covers and sitting up. He rubbed his chest where the guilt sat, a constant ball of ache and regret every time Kelly asked about Cecily.

One more day. One more day and he wouldn’t have to lie anymore. And, hopefully, Kelly would understand.

Nick dressed quickly and glanced out the window, watching as Kelly and Ash disappeared into the early morning fog of the city. He glanced at the ship in the distance, making a note to head down there later today or first thing tomorrow to check on repairs. Goddamn, they needed to get back in the air. Living on the ground wasn’t for them. Any of them.

Not anymore.

It was too much of before. When they were scrawny kids barely making a living stealing insignificant objects for insignificant payoffs. When Nick was confused about his feelings for Ty and his feelings for Kelly. When everything with Kelly was new and precarious. Familiar but not. There were a lot of good memories of the ground braided with bad ones filled with dark corners and hissing whispers. Fists and teeth. Guns and knives. Scars and secrets.

Yeah. They really needed to get back in the air.

Nick pulled on his boots and headed downstairs, nodding a hello to Deuce and Owen, who were bent over engine plans. Always bent over engine plans. He grabbed a gun and shoved it into a shoulder holster, then grabbed his coat from the hook by the door. “Back later.”

Sweat and grit and hopelessness coated the streets like slime, clinging to everything. Trying to pull it into the earth where it was dark and safe and you could simply go to sleep. It colored everything charcoal—dark lines and slashes resembling life—with muted color filling in the spaces. It was in these moments he missed Kelly’s bright eyes. They cut through the charcoal in splashes of blue and green and white. Brilliant and mesmerizing.

He smiled as he wound his way through the streets, traveling a familiar path to a familiar door set into a familiar wall. He flipped a coin to the homeless man who decorated the front stoop. “How’s the weather?”

The man bit on the coin and dropped it into a pouch. “Gonna snow.”

Nick chuckled. Same question. Same answer. Same as the last fifteen days. It was far too warm. Snow was only seen at the poles now and even then it was sparse.

He headed inside the darkened shop. “Hey, Shannon.”

A woman at the far end of the shop looked up, a smile lighting up her face. “Right on schedule, O’Flaherty.”

"Tell me you have it for me today." Nick crossed the warped floor, his shifting weight causing the planks to groan a faint tune that followed his progress.

Shannon’s smile grew. “I can not only tell you that, but today it’s actually true.”

"Fucking finally," he breathed out in relief.

She shook her head with a grin as she lifted a wooden box to the counter. It was roughly two feet square and printed with shipping codes and other markings he vaguely recognized. He didn’t care about the outside. His heart tattooed the inside of his ribs as she popped the lid and pushed the open container across the counter at him.

His smile hurt his cheeks as he reached in and ran his fingers through the contents. “Damn…”

"Is it what you were looking for?"

Nick nodded, his mind already spinning and planning. “It’s exactly what I was looking for.” He met her gaze with a sincere expression as he passed a heavier than usual coin purse to her. “Thank you.”

She took the purse with a nod. “Of course. Kelly will love it.”

Nick chewed on his bottom lip as he replaced the lid of the box. “I fucking hope so.”

===

Ash followed Kelly through the narrow alleyways, his mind still a little cloudy with sleep. Kelly had smacked him on the foot to wake him up and told him to get dressed. He was sleepy but not stupid. If he didn’t go with Kelly, then he’d be roped into playing gopher for Owen and Deuce, who were obsessed with the engine rebuild for Sidewinder.

"What are we doing?" Ash yawned when they paused.

"Shopping," Kelly said with a grin over his shoulder. His dark glasses hid his eyes but Ash knew they were probably glinting mischievously.

"For?"

Kelly slipped into the growing market crowd with Ash on his heels. “Christmas.”

Ash frowned. “What?”

"You guys celebrated Christmas, right? On the sub?"

Ash shrugged. “Kind of. I mean we’d eat a meal together and drink a lot. But there’s only so much you can do underwater, you know?”

"Huh. Well, everyone’s about to split out of their skin, so I thought we could give them something as a distraction."

"Christmas."

Kelly grinned at him again. “Christmas. But not just any Christmas.”

"Oh God, you have that look." Ash paused.

"What look?" Kelly turned to face Ash with a slight frown.

"The one that says you’re about to do something that will get me yelled at by Ty because you’ll vanish.”

Kelly laughed. “I won’t vanish this time.”

"Right, and I should take the word of a pirate and a sneak thief.”

"Double trouble," Kelly murmured as he started walking again. "Your choice. You can go back to the house and I can do this alone. I think Deuce has another list of parts."

Ash shifted his weight and blew out a breath. “I hate you,” he said as he followed.

"You adore my existence," Kelly called back over his shoulder.

"Jerk."

"Bitch. Keep up."

===

Ty paced the length of the roof and back again. No jobs today. Nothing to do. He smelled a storm on the air but the clouds had kept their distance so far, hovering over the water as if they were afraid to come say hi to the city. The sun slowly traded places with the moon as the minutes silently ticked down the end of the long, boring, uneventful day. Nick, Kelly, and Ash had all been gone when he woke up and stayed that way all damn day. He wasn’t worried about them, per se. They were grown men who were more than capable of taking care of themselves. But the growing tension in the house and the mounting repairs on the ship had worn everyone thin. Ty would be lying if he said he wasn’t the tiniest bit nervous of losing his crew members to either other ships or other opportunities. He hated to think that about his men, but, at the same time, he couldn’t blame them. They were pirates. Air pirates. Thieves and mercenaries. Holed up in a house in the same city for three months now was not in their blood.

Not anymore.

"You’re making me dizzy," Zane drawled from a lounger.

Ty stopped in place and blew out a breath. “I just wish I knew where they were.”

"Out. Maybe stealing things we need. Or getting laid."

"The three of them?" Ty frowned. "No. God, Zane, thank you for putting that in my head. I need bleach now."

Zane laughed. “No, not the three of them. Jesus. Come here.” He patted his lap.

Ty sniffed then slowly made his way over to Zane and crawled into his lap. He looked down at his lover and co-captain, his best friend and confidant, the man he’d given his heart to and the man who’d recently been outed as a prince, of all things.

That still buzzed under Ty’s skin, an annoying itch that never quite went away, but they didn’t talk about it often.

"How’s your arm?" Zane ran his fingers over the clockwork limb attached to Ty’s human shoulder.

Ty shrugged his other shoulder as he flexed the metal fingers. “Fine. A little sore where it joins. I think I slept on it wrong last night.”

Zane chuckled. “What really has you wound up?” He slid his hands up and down Ty’s thighs and curled his fingers around Ty’s hips as he looked up expectantly.

Ty blew out a breath. “Cabin fever.”

Zane nodded. “Yeah. Everyone has a case, I think.”

Ty glanced over his shoulder at his ship in the distance. “We could…we could steal a new ship.”

Zane didn’t respond. Ty looked at him. Zane watched him with an expression of surprise and sadness. “You want to do that?”

"Do I want to? No. Do I think we need to? Yeah." Ty shifted so his legs were wrapped around Zane’s waist. He played with the collar of Zane’s shirt absently as he tried to put his thoughts into something resembling coherency. "I’m…I’m worried we’re going to lose crew if we don’t have a ship."

Zane tilted his head. “You think the ship is the only thing that keeps the crew together?”

"Well, not the only thing, but the mobility helps."

Zane slid his arms around Ty’s waist and tipped his forehead to rest against Ty’s. “Baby, you’re worrying too much. Everyone’s just concerned about the ship and if she can be fixed. They miss the big jobs and the adventures but no one is going to leave because of this.”

"How can you be so sure?" Ty winced as his voice came out plaintive. He hadn’t realized exactly how worried he actually was until he admitted it out loud to Zane.

Zane kissed him softly, a mere brush of lips but Ty felt it all the way down to the bones in his legs.

"We’re a family," Zane whispered. "You taught me that."

Ty wrapped his arms around Zane’s neck and pressed their lips together again, this time firmer and harder with more teeth and teasing touches of tongue. Zane moaned and the sound shot through Ty’s blood like a bullet, tearing through his system and exploding in his chest. He tightened his hold, squeezing Zane’s hips with his thighs and wallowing in the little sounds Zane made as they kissed.

"Ty…" Zane groaned.

Ty hummed and slid a hand into Zane’s hair. He heard sounds that resembled words and those words probably formed sentences that had meaning, but his ability to process anything other than the need to have Zane in every way imaginable was long since shorted out.

"Ty," Zane said a little more firmly as his hands pushed at Ty’s chest gently.

"What?" Ty tried to chase Zane’s mouth as they parted.

"Did you hear what I said?"

Ty shook his head. “Did it have to do with taking off your pants? Because I think you probably know the answer to that one.”

"There are lights on the ship."

Ty froze as the meaning of those words slowly penetrated his haze of lust with little pings of understanding. “What?”

"Lights. On the ship." Zane nodded over Ty’s shoulder.

Ty twisted around, his eyes going wide at the hundreds of tiny lights that outlined the airship. “What the fuck?”

"We should probably go check."

Ty was already pushing off Zane’s lap and heading for the door.

===

Nick met Ty, Zane, and the rest of the crew (minus Kelly and Ash) at the base of the front steps. He hefted his bag over one shoulder and nodded toward the ship. “What’s going on?”

"No idea," Ty said as he checked a gun and holstered it against his ribcage. "Coming?"

Nick grinned. “Hell yeah.” He actually kind of hoped the ship was being robbed purely for the excuse of something happening that they could all band together and fight. It’d been too long.

They wound through the darkened streets, ignoring the calls of late night tradesmen. Most people scurried out of their way as the crew made for an interesting sight with their dark clothing, unsmiling faces, and a partially bared automaton even though Deuce tried to hide his face under a hood.

"What the hell?" Digger breathed as they neared the ship. The lights weren’t candles or any sort of searchlight like they’d thought.

They were twinkle lights.

Hundreds and hundreds of twinkle lights.

Wrapped around the splintered railings.

Spiraling up the broken masts.

Outlining the doors and broken windows.

Tracing form and beauty over chaos and destruction.

"Do you like it?" Kelly’s voice drifted down as he swung down on some intact rigging. He dropped to the railing and stood there, his eyes wary but his smile proud.

"What is this?" Owen asked as they trickled onto the deck, everyone craning their necks to look around.

"It’s Christmas," Kelly answered simply. "On our ship."

Ash poked his head out of the main cabin. “You guys coming? Food’s gonna get cold.”

Frowns and cautious smiles sprinkled across the group as they made their way into the cabin.

Nick froze in the doorway. “Kels…”

"Do you like it?" Kelly asked again, this time quieter and only for Nick.

Nick stared at the decorations lining the inside of the cabin. It’d been cleaned and the furniture righted and arranged. The table was mostly repaired and now groaned under the weight of a small feast. An actual Christmas tree stood in one corner, also strung with lights. Nick caught sight of metal on the tree and peered closer as he crossed the room. “Gears?”

"I raided your workshop for ornaments." Kelly poked at a deactivated clockwork bug that dangled from a branch. "I thought it looked cool."

"It looks amazing." Nick stepped back, unable to really process what he was seeing. Everyone else (except Deuce and Owen) had grabbed plates of food, the atmosphere relaxing almost immediately as the familiarity of the ship surrounded them and seeped into their bones.

Kelly had brought them all home.

It was broken and bruised and fractured like them, but she was home.

Nick slid his palms over Kelly’s cheeks and kissed him hard and deep. “This is incredible, Kels.”

Kelly smiled against his mouth and wound his arms around Nick’s waist, pulling at his shirt in an effort to seal their bodies together. “I’m happy you like it.”

Nick brushed his nose against Kelly’s and smiled. “I fucking love it.”

Kelly’s smile could power the twinkle lights.

Nick dragged his teeth over his lower lip as he released Kelly and opened his bag. “I have something for you. I was going to wait until tomorrow when it was actually Christmas, but…” He waved a hand around at the decorations as he pulled out a cloth-wrapped bundle. He took a deep breath and handed it to Kelly. “If you don’t like it, I can change it back.”

Kelly frowned at him suspiciously as he slowly took the bundle. He sat on a nearby couch and put the bundle in his lap as he undid the string securing it closed.

Nick’s heart clawed its way into his throat and wrapped around his windpipe.

The cloth fell away and Kelly made a surprised noise, his bright eyes widening. “Nick…”

"Like I said, I can change her back if you don’t—"

"I love it," Kelly whispered without looking up. "Oh my God, Nick. How…" His fingers trembled as he slowly touched the pristine white fur that covered the clockwork body of his pet weasel, Cecily.

Nick’s knees went weak with relief. He let the couch catch him as he half-sat, half-collapsed. “It’s synthetic fur. I didn’t go out a skin real snow weasels. I, um, got a line on a shipment of it. They use it for pets for the nobility. So I bribed a shop into losing a small batch of it.”

Kelly grinned as Cecily picked up her head and poked at his hand with her nose. “She’s beautiful.” His voice swirled with wonder and amazement. “She looks so damn real.”

"I’m sorry I lied to you. About not knowing where she was."

Kelly pressed his lips together and nodded. He looked at Nick, his eyes shining in the glow of the twinkle lights. “Worth it.”

Nick kissed him, slow and sweet. “Merry Christmas, monkey.”

Kelly looked down at Cecily, who uncurled her body, stretched, and climbed up his arm to her familiar perch on his shoulder. “Merry Christmas, Nick. Thank you.”

A throat cleared across the room. “If you two are done…” Ty arched an eyebrow, a smile betraying the seriousness of his voice.

Nick laughed as they joined the rest of the crew around the table. Ty fixed Ash and Kelly with a stern look. “So this is what you two have been up to all day, then?”

Ash nodded, unaffected by Ty’s expression. “The ship needed some sprucing up, we thought.”

"Twinkle lights," Ty said, deadpan.

"And a tree," Kelly added cheerfully.

Ash pushed away from the table. “And one more thing.” He grabbed a box from under the tree and handed it to Ty. “It’s from everyone.”

Ty blinked at the box. “You mean you bought it?”

Zane chuckled. “Occasionally, we buy things.”

Kelly shifted. “I was against that part of the idea, for what it’s worth.”

Nick poked Kelly in the thigh.

Ty shook his head with a grin and opened the box. “No fucking way!” he crowed as he pulled a wide-brim, black hat from the box. “Where the hell did you find another one?”

"I got skills," Digger said as he leaned back in his chair with a wide grin. "You’ve been mopey ever since you lost the last one."

"I didn’t lose it." Ty pointed at him. "It was stolen from me."

"Yeah, yeah, when the Baron kidnapped us, blah blah blah." Kelly waved a hand. "Put it on."

Ty grinned and flipped the hat over a few times, admiring it fondly before he set it on his head with a flourish. “Well?”

Zane smiled. “There you are, Captain Grady.”

"Hey, guys?" Owen called from the window. "You might want to see this."

Chairs squeaked and groaned as bodies shuffled and shifted. Nick blinked in surprise at the deck. A fine, white powder covered the ship with more swirling softly down from the clouds that finally decided to blanket the mainland. He laughed quietly to himself, his thoughts dancing back to the homeless man on the shop’s stoop.

Gonna snow.

Nick slid his arm around Kelly’s shoulders, his fingers brushing Cecily’s new fur. He pressed his nose to Kelly’s hair and closed his eyes as a warmth unfurled in his chest and slowly slid through his body like warm honey.

Fucking snow.

On Christmas Eve.

While they stood on the deck of a broken ship.

And celebrated.


End file.
